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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28642425">Quoting Casablanca</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/cmk418/pseuds/cmk418'>cmk418</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>M/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2009-08-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2009-08-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 12:47:23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>646</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28642425</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/cmk418/pseuds/cmk418</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Giles helps Xander figure something out</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Rupert Giles/Xander Harris</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Quoting Casablanca</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The children were filtering out for the night.  This was always the time when Giles was made more conscious of his loneliness.  He wished that one in particular would stay behind a little longer, but that wish was impossible.</p><p>
  <i>Wasn’t it?</i>
</p><p>The children said their goodbyes and left.  Buffy to patrol.  Willow back to the dorms.  And Xander to the so-called basement of doom.</p><p>There was a light tap at the outside of the door.  Giles’ hopes soared for an instant.  He went to open the door.</p><p>Xander stood outside.</p><p>Giles’ heart skipped a beat and he was having a bit of trouble remembering how to breathe.  His brain galvanized itself enough to force him to step aside to allow Xander access.</p><p>“Forget something?” he asked.</p><p>“I… there’s something… and I didn’t want the girls to hear.”</p><p>“Oh,” said Giles, flattered that he would be considered a confidant.</p><p>“Last year, I really screwed things up with Wil.  I kissed her, did you know that?”</p><p>“Yes.”  Contrary to their beliefs, he wasn’t totally oblivious to the personal lives of Buffy’s friends.</p><p>“I’m thinking about doing something like that again.”</p><p>“Kissing Willow?”</p><p>“No.  Becoming more involved with someone who’s a friend.”</p><p><i>Damn</i>, thought Giles.  <i>He still has that ridiculous infatuation with Buffy.</i></p><p>“I thought you were seeing Anyanka.”</p><p>“Well, that’s the thing.  Anya wants to see me, but I’m not so sure.  Things would be easier, I suppose, and I could keep my friendship with the other person intact, but Anya doesn’t quite…”</p><p>“Get your motor running.”</p><p>“No, actually, that she does.  But there’s a window of opportunity with the other person and if I don’t take it now, I may never act on it.”</p><p><i>Window of opportunity.</i>  Buffy did break up with that Parker git.  And it would do her good to have someone to rely on who wouldn’t break her heart, wouldn’t use her, and wasn’t counted among the undead.  Perhaps Xander would be the best candidate for the job.</p><p>Even though it killed him to admit it.</p><p>“Well, Xander, friendships have been changed after the participants have become intimate.  And that could serve to either deepen the friendship or utterly destroy it.”</p><p>“Like with you and Mrs. Summers.”</p><p>Giles flinched.  “Joyce and I are civil to each other, but we never really had the bond of a deep friendship.  We are more like you and Cordelia, or you and Anyanka.”</p><p>“And the other.  When it gets better?”</p><p>“That would be with Ethan.”</p><p>“I’m sorry, what?!”</p><p>“Ethan and I have a wonderful friendship.”</p><p>“Yeah, nearly killing the town, nearly killing your Slayer, nearly…”</p><p>“I’ve got it, Xander.”</p><p>“But he’s evil.”</p><p>“It’s complicated.”</p><p>“Do you still think about him like that?”</p><p>“Sometimes.”</p><p>“Would you think about me like that?”</p><p>Giles blinked.  The words hung in the air, so heavily that he could practically see them.  He thought about Xander’s question, the utter lack of gender identification about the “other person”.  He decided to tread lightly.</p><p>“You and I are not intimate in that way.”</p><p>“Okay.”  Xander sighed and scooted further away from him.</p><p>
  <i>This was most definitely not “okay.”</i>
</p><p>“It doesn’t mean I haven’t.  Thought about it.”  Giles leveled his gaze, heard the soft catch of Xander’s breath in his throat, and leaned a whisper’s breadth away from Xander.  “I think about it far more often than is comfortable.”</p><p>“Giles.  Do you think it would ruin everything if I…?”</p><p>The slight drop of Giles’ eyes to Xander’s lips was all Xander needed for confirmation.  He moved forward, lightly touching his lips to Giles, and then increasing the pressure as the kiss grew more passionate.</p><p>Xander drew back slightly.  “Do you want to quote ‘Casablanca’ now or should I?”</p><p>“Er… what?”  Giles was having difficulty focusing on anything other than the feeling of Xander in his arms.</p><p>Xander grinned.  “Rupert, this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”<br/>
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